Recycling Odds and Ends

Hopefully, you're recycling your paper, aluminum, plastic and mixed metal. And you have a compost bin. And you even take the time to drop your accumulated plastic bags off at a nearby grocery for recycling. (If not, get with the program...can't really enjoy a beautiful life if we pollute the planet beyond recognition, can we?)

But what about that other stuff? The faucet you just replaced in the bathroom sink. Those wine corks..of which you end up with far more than you want to admit.

Well, The Dallas Morning News had a great article several weeks ago on just what to do with this detritus. Here's a summary of websites you should visit and what they do with what you send them.

Home salvage
Salvageweb.com connects you with salvage firms or restoration projects.

Eyeglasses
Onesight.org gives used eyeglasses to people locally and around the world. (You can also take them to a nearby Pearle Vision Center or Lenscrafters.

Trophies
gccreativeimages.com reuses trophies and sends them to causes like the Speical Olympics.

Corks
Visit recorkamerica.com for information on its recycling programs.

Bridesmaid dresses
Donate your formal dresses to promshopproject.com. They'll pass them along to local girls who can't afford to buy dresses for their prom.

Do you know of other unusual recycling programs? If so, post them in the Comments section below.